A heat exchanger, such as an air conditioner, is constructed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger fins, in which a plurality of through-holes have been formed to enable heat exchanger tubes to be inserted. Such heat exchanger fins are manufactured by a manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins depicted in FIG. 15. The manufacturing apparatus for heat exchanger fins is equipped with an uncoiler 12 where a thin metal plate (or “metal strip”) 10 made of aluminum or the like has been wound into a coil. The metal strip 10 pulled out from the uncoiler 12 via pinch rollers 14 is inserted into an oil applying apparatus 16 where machining oil is applied onto the surface of the metal strip 10, and is then supplied to a mold apparatus 20 provided inside a press apparatus 18.
The mold apparatus 20 internally includes an upper mold die set 22 that is capable of up-down movement and a lower mold die set 24 that is static. In the metal strip 10 that has passed through the mold apparatus 20, a plurality of collar-equipped through-holes 11 (also referred to simply as “through-holes” in the present specification), where collars of a predetermined height are formed around through-holes, are formed at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction. After being conveyed a predetermined distance in the predetermined direction, the metal strip 10 is cut into predetermined lengths by a cutter 26 and then stored in a stacker 28.
The press apparatus 18 is provided with a feeder apparatus that intermittently conveys the metal strip 10, in which a plurality of through-holes 11 have been formed at predetermined intervals in a predetermined direction, toward the cutter 26. FIGS. 16 and 17 are diagrams useful in explaining the conveyance of the metal strip 10 by the operation of the feeder apparatus. The feeder apparatus causes feed pins 68 to advance from below into through-holes 11 formed in the metal strip 10 and conveys the metal strip 10 in the conveying direction by moving the feed pins 68 in a conveying direction. The metal strip 10 is placed on a reference plate 64. A slit 66 formed in a range in which the feed pins 68 move is formed in the reference plate 64. The feed pins 68 protrude upward from the slit 66.
The feed pins 68 are provided so as to protrude upward on a pin block 56 that is capable of moving in a horizontal direction and an up-down direction. When conveying the metal strip 10 in the conveying direction, the pin block 56 is raised and the feed pins 68 advance into the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64. The pin block 56 then moves in the conveying direction. After the metal strip 10 has been moved to a predetermined position, the pin block 56 is lowered and the feed pins 68 are withdrawn downward from the through-holes 11. After this, the pin block 56 then moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction (i.e., in a return direction) while remaining in a state where the feed pins 68 do not contact the metal strip 10 to return to an initial position.
Next, the specific construction of an existing feeder apparatus and the operation thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 20. The feeder apparatus includes a reciprocating block 50 that moves reciprocally in the conveying direction and a moving block 54 that is provided above the reciprocating block 50. The moving block 54 is fixed to a shaft 60, which spans between two fixed members 82a, 82b that are fixed facing one another near both ends of the reciprocating block 50, so as to be capable of moving in the same direction as the direction of movement of the reciprocating block 50. For this reason, the moving block 54 is capable of moving together with the shaft 60 in the direction of movement of the reciprocating block 50.
The pin block 56 that supports the feed pins 68 is provided above the moving block 54 and has two plates 56a, 56b disposed in that order in the up-down direction. A plurality of the feed pins 68 are attached to the pin block 56 so as to be sandwiched between the plates 56a, 56b. The pin block 56 is energized downwardly (i.e., toward the moving block 54) by an energizing means such as a spring, not depicted). The pin block 56 is therefore capable of moving together with the moving block 54 and when a force that acts upwardly against the energizing force of the energizing means acts upon the pin block 56, the pin block is raised toward the reference plate 64.
An up-down cam portion 80 is provided between the moving block 54 and the pin block 56. The up-down cam portion 80 is composed of an upper cam portion 76 fixed to the pin block 56 and a lower cam portion 78 provided on the moving block 54. Concave and convex portions are formed on the facing surfaces of the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78. The lower cam portion 78 is formed on an upper surface of a wide member 78a that is placed on the moving block 54 positioned between the fixed members 82a, 82b and is wider than the moving block 54. The wide member 78a is formed with a suitable size so as to protrude beyond the moving block 54 and the pin block 56 toward both ends in the conveying direction.
The concave and convex portions of the upper cam portion 76 are formed on a surface that faces the lower cam portion 78 of the wide member 78a. The wide member 78a is capable of sliding on the moving block 54, with such movement being restricted by the fixed members 82a, 82b. That is, when the wide member 78a slides in the conveying direction of the metal strip 10, the conveying direction-side end of the wide member 78a will hit the inner wall surface of the fixed member 82b and when the wide member 78a slides in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, the opposite direction-side end of the wide member 78a will hit the inner wall surface of the fixed member 82a. 
As depicted in FIG. 20, when the conveying direction-side end of the wide member 78a hits the fixed member 82b, the convex portions formed on the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78 contact one another. For this reason, the pin block 56 is pressed upward against the energizing force of the energizing means and front end portions of the feed pins 68, 68, . . . provided on the pin block 56 advance inside the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64.
On the other hand, as depicted in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, when the wide member 78a slides in the conveying direction (i.e., toward the fixed member 82b) and the other end of the wide member 78a hits the fixed member 82b, the concave portions and the convex portions formed on the upper cam portion 76 and the lower cam portion 78 fit together. For this reason, the pin block 56 is pressed against the moving block 54 by the energizing force of the energizing means and the front end portions of the feed pins 68, 68, . . . of the pin block 56 are withdrawn downward from the through-holes 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64.
In such a feeder apparatus for the metal strip 10, the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64 is conveyed in the direction of a fixed block 52b, with a positioning pin 84 for positioning the metal strip 10 at such position after conveyance also being provided. Such positioning pin 84 is provided so as to be capable of retractably protruding upward from the fixed block 52b. The positioning pin 84 is moved up and down by a positioning cam unit 86 provided on the fixed block 52b. 
The positioning cam unit 86 is constructed of an upper cam unit 86a and a lower cam unit 86b where concave and convex portions are formed on facing surfaces, with the lower cam unit 86b being formed on a wide member 87 formed so as to be slidable and wider than the fixed block 52b. When the lower cam unit 86b slides in the direction where the convex portions contact one another, the front end portion of the positioning pin 84 protrudes above the reference plate 64 and is inserted into a through-hole 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64 to position the metal strip 10.
On the other hand, when the lower cam unit 86b slides in the direction where the convex portions and the concave portions of both sides fit together, the front end portion of the positioning pin 84 becomes positioned below the reference surface of the reference plate 64 and is withdrawn from the collar-equipped through-hole 11 of the metal strip 10 placed on the reference plate 64 to release the positioning of the metal strip 10.
The wide member 87 of the lower cam unit 86b is linked by a shaft 90 to a slide member 88 that is slidably inserted into the fixed block 52a that faces the fixed block 52b. The shaft 90 is disposed so as to span between the two fixed blocks 52a, 52b disposed facing one another along the conveying direction. The shaft 90 is disposed so as to pass through the reciprocating block 50 and is provided so as to not obstruct movement of the reciprocating block 50.
When the reciprocating block 50 has moved in the conveying direction, the conveying direction-side end of the reciprocating block 50 will press an end portion of the wide member 87 of the lower cam unit 86b and thereby cause the lower cam unit 86b to slide in a direction where the convex portions contact the convex portions of the upper cam unit 86a. Conversely, when the reciprocating block 50 has moved in the opposite direction to the conveying direction, the end portion on the opposite side of the reciprocating block 50 to the conveying direction will press an end portion of the slide portion 88 provided at the opposite side of the shaft 90 to the wide member 87 and thereby cause the lower cam unit 86b to slide in a direction where the concave portions and convex portions of the upper cam unit 86a and the lower cam unit 86b fit together.
Next, a movement operation of the moving block will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 and 22. The moving block 54 is held in the center of the reciprocating block 50 by springs, not depicted. A holding means 92 that holds the moving block 54 reliably at a predetermined position on the reciprocating block 50 is provided on the reciprocating block 50 so as to protrude from the reciprocating block 50. The holding means 92 includes a pin member 98 whose front end portion protrudes from the reciprocating block 50 toward the moving block 54 and engages the moving block 54. The pin member 98 is constructed so as to be capable of holding and releasing the moving block 54 in accordance with movement of the reciprocating block 50. A wheel 97 that rotates along the conveying direction is provided at the lower end portion of the pin member 98 and is constantly energized downward by an energizing means 95.
A cam member 96 with a trapezoidal portion that projects upward is disposed below the reciprocating block 50. A lower end portion of the pin member 98 where the wheel 97 is provided contacts the surface of the cam member 96 due to the energizing force of the energizing means 95.
When the wheel 97 is positioned on the trapezoidal portion of the cam member 96, the front end portion of the pin member 98 is raised and becomes inserted in a concave portion of the moving block 54, thereby engaging the moving block 54. The holding means 92 is thereafter capable of reliably holding the moving block 54 at a predetermined position on the reciprocating block 50. On the other hand, when the moving block 54 has moved and approached the final end, the wheel 97 is located at a lower position than the trapezoidal portion of the cam member 96, the front end portion of the pin member 98 becomes withdrawn from the concave portion of the moving block 54, and the engagement of the pin member 98 and the moving block 54 is released.
Patent Document 1
    Japanese Patent No. 3,881,991